Council under fire for third-party election ads - Summerland Review Nov 29/09

Council under fire for third-party election ads

Mayor Janice Perrino and other members of Summerland council have come under fire as a result of advertisements endorsing them during the election campaign last year.
John Arendt Summerland Review


Possible Election
Council can’t dodge responsibility
By John Arendt - Summerland Review (online version of the Summerland Review)
http://www.bclocalnews.com/okanagan_similkameen/summerlandreview/news/78095377.html)

Published: November 29, 2009 12:00 PM
Updated: November 29, 2009 12:58 PM
A series of advertisements in last year’s election campaign, endorsing the members of the present municipal council, have stirred controversy and raised criticisms of the council members.

Last year, during the election campaign, third-party advertisements were placed in the Summerland Review and other newspapers in the region, endorsing one of the two mayoral candidates and six of the 13 councillor candidates.

The seven candidates listed in the advertisements were all elected.

The candidates subsequently declared the value of the advertising in their disclosure statements.

Mayor Janice Perrio said she and the others listed in the ads followed the advice of the municipal elections officer who told them to declare everything that could be considered a benefit.

“But I didn’t pay for them and I didn’t approve them,” Perrino added.

Under the election act, candidates may not accept anonymous donations of more than $50 and anonymous donors may not give more than $50.

Candidates, elector organizations and campaign organizers must give that contribution to the municipality or the regional district.

Municipal clerk Gillian Matthews, who was also Summerland’s elections officer in 2008, said violations of the elections act cannot be enforced unless members of the public go through the court system. This has not yet happened anywhere in the province.

“No one’s responsible for enforcing the act. That’s the problem,” she said.

She added that during the campaign period last fall, she advised candidates to acknowledge the advertisements on their disclosure statements, in the interests of being open and transparent.

Perrino said she would like to see some changes to the present election act.

“I think there are problems within the whole election system,” she said. She would like to ensure any ads endorsing a candidate would also have the approval of the candidate.

This is not the first time Summerland has had third-party advertisements on behalf of candidates.

In the 2005 election, several of the candidates were endorsed by a pro-agriculture group within the community.

The seven candidates named in last year’s third-party advertisements were all elected, but Perrino said the advertising campaign did not ensure the election outcome.

“Ultimately, it’s the public who votes for you. Ultimately it’s the public who decides who gets elected,” she said. “People are very intelligent. They vote as they want to vote.”

Matthews said the candidates cannot prevent anyone from placing a third-party advertisement on their behalf, even if they refuse to authorize the ad.

“Candidates have absolutely no way of controlling anonymous ads going into the paper,” she said.

For the next municipal election, in the fall of 2011, the regulations may be different.

Matthews said the premier has authorized a committee to look at potential changes in election legislation before the next election is held.

“There are holes in the legislation that need to be filled,” she said. “Summerland is not the only place where there were concerns being raised.”

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re: above article.
Please note that the sections regarding campaign organizers and electoral organizations are NEW since the municipal election of 2005. So when the Association of Citizens for Summerland ran the ad mentioning several candidates they did not have to register nor file a financial disclosure following that election.
In addition, those mentioned in the ad were:
a) asked if wanted to be named in the ad
b) were members of the group running the ad

c) The Association of Citizens for Summerland had an elected executive, a website and was a known entity in the community.

The article states: “But I didn’t pay for them and I didn’t approve them" - Mayor Perrino

However, the first ad by the Citizens for Smart Governance endorsing Janice Perrino appeared on page 22 of the Summerland Review on November 6, 2008. The same ad appeared again, one week later, on page 12 of the November 13, 2008 Summerland Review. So if she didn't know who the Citizens for Smart Governance were she had one week between ads to try to find out and if she didn't want their endorsement to say so.

you can see these ads at: http://picasaweb.google.com/Kerrisfordphotos/ElectionAds2008?authkey=Gv1sRgCODqsZGXoPKfQA&feat=directlink#